or what he thinks he'd like to get. Somehow I fancy
that, with moderately good luck, two or three years of it should set us
on our feet."

"But those two or three years. It's unthinkable!" Millicent broke out.

"I'm afraid you will have to face them," said Leslie dryly. He turned
and looked hard at her. "You can't reasonably rue your bargain. You
knew when I married you that while I had the command of money my
business was a risky one."

Again Millicent stood silent a moment or two. She recognized that it
was largely because Leslie enjoyed that command of money that she had
discarded Geoffrey. Now his riches had apparently taken wings and
vanished, but the man was bound to her still. One could fancy that
there was something like retribution in the thing.

"It's rather dreadful, but I suppose I shall not make it any better by
complaining," she remarked after a long silence.

Her husband's manner became embarrassed. "I understand that Anthony
Thurston is well off and you were a favorite of his," he said. "Would
it be of any use if you explained the trouble to him?"

"No," was the answer, "it would be perfectly useless, and for other
reasons that course is impossible. He meant me to marry Geoffrey and
I've mortally offended him. He's a hard, determined man."

Leslie made a sign of assent, though there was a suggestion of grim
amusement in his manner. "I suppose you couldn't very well explain
that it was Geoffrey who threw you over? That would, no doubt, be too
much to expect of you, and, after all, when you get to the bottom of
the matter it wouldn't be true. In reality you finished with Geoffrey
when he decided to emigrate instead of selling the mine, didn't you?"

Millicent flashed a swift glance at him, but he met it half-mockingly,
and she turned her head away. "Why should you make yourself
intolerable?" she returned. "I'm sorry for you--that is, I want to be,
if you will let me."

Leslie shrugged his shoulders as he lit a cigar. "Well," he said, "it
can't be helped. We must face the thing! And now I don't want to set
the others wondering why we have slipped away; we had better go in
again." They walked back info the house.

Leslie, with one or two of the other men, sat up late in the
smoking-room. Leslie told a number of stories with force and point,
and when at length two of his companions went up the stairway together,
one of them looked at the other with a lifting of the eyebrows.